Theodore Roosevelt "The American's Creed" Printed Paddle Fan, Early 20th Century

Presented is a patriotic printed paddle fan, with an image of Theodore Roosevelt giving a speech in front of a laurel wreath and patriotic bunting. Above him is the printed text of “The American’s Creed.” “The American’s Creed” was written by William Tyler Page in 1917 as an entry into a patriotic contest. Selected as a winner from more than 3000 entries, it was accepted by the United States House of Representatives on April 3, 1918. The back of the fan features an advertisement for Roosevelt Savings Bank in Brooklyn, New York, promising “Freedom For Life.” The fan is attached to its original wooden stick. From the beginning of the 19th Century, fans commemorated national events, such as centennials, statehoods, inaugurations, or the birthdays of public figures. Americans who had imported European fans from the late 1600s to the mid-1800s, joined the fan-making fray soon after the Civil War and made-in-America fans began to acquire a following by 1867. Concurrently, advances in 19th Ce